The Best Guide for the West Somerset & Exmoor Area

Stollen

A traditional Austrian Christmas fruit and marzipan sweet bread. A great alternative to mince pies or Christmas cake.

Servings: 8
Preparation Time: 40 minutes
Cooking Time: 1 hour

Ingredients

200g Butter
250ml Milk
60g Fresh yeast
500g Strong white flour
100g Caster sugar
pinch Ground nutmeg
pinch Ground cloves
1 tsp Vanilla extract
2 drops Almond extract
55g Ground almonds
200g Raisins
100g Currants
125g Chopped mixed peel
225g Marzipan

To serve
25g Butter, melted
2 tbsp icing sugar

Method

1. Melt the butter over a gentle heat and set aside to cool.
2. Warm the milk until just warm to the touch, too hot and the yeast will die. Crumble in the yeast and stir until the yeast has dissolved.
3. In a large bowl, mix the flour, sugar, nutmeg, ground cloves, vanilla and almond extract. Make a well in the centre and stir in the melted butter and the milk and yeast mixture and knead well, until you have a smooth and pliable dough. (I do this in my food mixer with a dough hook)
4. Knead in the ground almonds, dried fruit and chopped peel. When everything has been fully incorporated, return to the bowl, cover with damp tea towel and leave to rise for 1-2 hours in a warm place, until doubled in size.
5. Knead the dough again lightly and roll out to a rectangle on a floured surface.
6. Roll out the marzipan to a slightly smaller rectangle and place on top of the dough. Roll up and transfer to a greased baking sheet. Cover loosely with a damp tea towel and allow to rise again for another hour.
7. Preheat the oven to 190oC/gas 5 and bake for 1 hour. Remove from the oven, brush with melted butter while still hot, and dust with icing sugar. Serve warm or cold

Any Stollen that is left over and is a little past its best can be turned into the most amazing bread and butter pudding. If you don't want to make a bread and butter pudding at Christmas time, then freeze the leftovers and use when all the fuss has died down.

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